Career Pathways: How To Become A Work Health And Safety Specialist

If you’re looking for a career option that pays well, you’ll benefit from becoming a work health and safety specialist. However, in order to succeed, you must fully understand what a safety specialist does and the education that required to land a job in your preferred industry.

What is a Health and Safety Specialist

A technician who specializes in health and safety examines a work environment and analyzes daily procedures. If a workplace has any health or safety issues, a specialist must make adjustments according to local regulations. In some cases, a safety expert must design programs in order to prevent accidents and injuries in a work environment. The settings where safety procedures are implemented vary; however, most specialists create programs for:

Mines

Factories

Offices

Since the process of working as a health and safety specialist requires hard work and dedication, you’ll need to prepare yourself for frequent fieldwork and lot of traveling. This is why many employers design full-time schedules.

Within the next few years, the demand for safety technicians will increase dramatically. If you’d like to land a job in this field, you’ll need to get a proper education.

Educational Information

In order to become a health and safety specialist, you must enroll in a reputable college and obtain a bachelor’s degree in a scientific field. During the classes, the instructors will discuss:

While in college, there will be many opportunities to complete on-the-job training. These opportunities are very beneficial because they help students gather tons of vital information about inspection methods and work environment laws.

At most businesses, the employers usually hire people who are certified. Many organizations provide certification in the United States, however, if you work with the American Board of Industrial Hygiene, you’ll have an opportunity to pursue a career as a certified hygienist. No matter what organization is chosen, you’ll only become certified if:

You’re properly educated

You’re experienced

You pass the exam

If you want a job that pays well, considering getting a master’s degree. You can take a course that covers health physics or industrial hygiene. During an industrial hygiene course, you’ll learn about:

Chemical hazards

Contaminants

Environmental sampling

Top Careers

Once you graduate, you’ll have a chance to pursue a job in various industries. The big benefit is that the median salary for most health and safety specialist jobs is at least $60,000.

In industries that require thorough inspections, a heath and safety specialist must resolve complaints, share information with the public, and review permits. Specialists who implement these procedures usually have a unique job title, such as a:

Food safety inspector

Sanitation program manager

Compliance officer

Some jobs will also require precise investigations in public locations to ensure that everything meets specific safety standards. If you land this kind of job, you’ll have to study any occupational health hazards and substances that can pollute the air.

The government needs health and safety technicians as well. You can gather a lot of helpful information about these jobs by contacting the Environmental Protection Agency. The most popular government job titles are:

Environmental scientist

Toxicologist

Soil analyst

Overall, if you want a rewarding career that helps locals and the environment, any job in the health and safety industry is a great choice. You’ll find employment fairly quickly after obtaining a degree because many businesses need knowledgeable technicians who understand the importance of safety in a work environment.